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Child with Fever — Fever Definition — Clinical Pathway: All Settings

Fever Clinical Pathway — All Settings

Evaluation of the Child with Fever: Fever Definition

Fever Defined for Specific Age Groups or Particular Risk Factors

Fever definitions are based largely on expert consensus. Individualized clinical decision-making for each patient is essential to good clinical care.

Infants < 57 Days ≥ 38.0°C or 100.4°F Febrile Young Infant
Children > 56 Days of Age ≥ 38.5°C or 101.3°F  
Patients with Underlying Immunocompromised State
  • ≥ 38.5°C once
  • ≥ 38.0°C three times in a 24-hour period, 1 hour apart
    • or any clinical concern
Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO) Patients with daily fever ≥ 38.3°C or 101°F ≥ 8 days Evaluation of FUO

 

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